Photographic retoucher



(No Model.)

J N. CHOATE. PHOTOGRAPHIG RBTOUGHBR.

No. 548,956. Patented Oct. 29, 1895 l zyl. I

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN N. OHOATE, OF OARLISLE, PENNSYLVANIA.

PHOTOG RAPHIC RETOUCH ER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 548,956, dated October29, 1895.

App filed p ,189t. Serial No. 545,844. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, JOHN N. GHOATE, of Carlisle, in the county ofCumberland and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and ImprovedApparatus for Retouching Photographic Negatives, of which the followingis a specification.

According to one method of retouching photographic negatives which hascome into vogue in recent years the pencil or stylus used for thepurpose is attached to a small electric instrument or motor, which isheld firmly in the hand while its armature delivers slight blows inrapid succession upon the spring-supported pencil, or else upon a fixedinelastic portion of the body of the instrument. In either case theobject is to impart a certain vibration to the pencil independently ofthe natural movement of the operators hand; but the result has notproved satisfactory, and I have therefore sought to devise a betterinstrument or apparatus for the purpose, which, after many experimentsand tests, I have succeeded in producing.

I have devised two forms of an apparatus or instrument embodying myinvention, one form being the subject of an application, Serial No.528,158. The other form is hereinafter described and illustrated inaccompanying drawings. In both forms the retouching pencil or stylus isheld rigid or immovable while in use, so that it makes every movement ofthe bodyof the instrument due to vibration of the armature. This is afeature absolutely essential to the attainment of the desired degreeof'perfection in operation and artistic effect. I have provided anelastic or yielding contact of the armature with the body or frame ofthe instrument for the purpose of varying the power of stroke. 1 arrangea cushion or rubber block beneath the free end of the armature andprovide means for expanding it to regulate the stroke or blow of thearmature, and thereby vary the retouching effect. I further provide foradjustment of the pencil or stylus at different angles to the body ofthe instrument and for holding it fixed in difierent adjustments, ashereinafter described.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a side view of my improvedinstrument or apparatus. Fig. 2 is an end view. Fig. 3 is a side viewwith the casing of the instrument in section. Fig. 4 is a detailperspective of the elastic block upon which the armature is or may bearranged to strike. Fig. 5 is a perspective view. showing the instrumentheld in the hand of an operator as when in use.

The main portions of the motor or operative instrument, save the pencilor stylus, are inclosed in the narrow rectangular casing a, which may beconveniently grasped by and held in the hand. Theelectromagnets b b aresecured to a rigid frame 0 and placed side by side, and the armature dis arranged above them in a well-known manner. The armature is providedwith the usual spring-contact e, and battery-Wires ffconnect withtheinstrument as usual, being attached to screws or binding-posts g g onone end of the casing a.

The retouching-pencil his rigidly connected with the frame a of theinstrument by means of a metal plate 6, which is secured to the underside of the frame 0 substantially parallel to the armature d. ,Its freeend projects beyond the casing a, and is doubled on itself to form acylindrical socket j for receiving a like-shaped block 70, in which thepencilholder Z is clamped by means of a screw m.

As shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the shank of the pencil-holder Z passesthrough a transverse hole in the block 70, and the clamp-screw m worksin a threaded hole or bore in the outer end of the same, so that it isin contact with said shank. By adjusting the screw m the pencil mayobviously be extended in length, as required. The block It is held byfriction in the socket j, but may be manually rotated without difficultyin a direction lengthwise of the frame of the instrument for the purposeof placing the device at different angles, as shown by dotted lines inFig. 1, as required for convenience of use or for producing differenteffects in retouching. For regulating the degree of friction of theblock it in said socket the latter may be compressed more or lesstightly thereon by means of the clampscrew "a, Fig. 1, which passesthrough the recurved end of the metal plate 1'. It is apparent thatprovision for these adjustments of the pencil has no effect upon itsrigidity of attachment to the frame of the instrument.

Directly under the free end of the armature is arranged a cushion orelastic anvil p for the same. It consists of an elongated and pointedpiece of rubber, which is secured in vertical position between the frontend of the casing a and the adjacent magnet 12. The means for securingit in place and also for adjusting and expanding it as required are ascrew q and nut r. The head of the screw q is on the outer side of thecasing a, and its shank passes through a vertical slot a in the latter,and also through a hole in the elastic block 19 and through the nut r.The latter abuts the sides of the casing a, and is thus prevented fromrotation. The slot 0. allows vertical adjustment of the cushion p, andby means of the screw and nut the cushion may be compressed more orless, and thus expanded, as shown by dotted lines in Figs. 3 and I, asrequired to elongate it and bring its point nearer to or farther fromthe free end of the armature.

The instrument is used and adjusted as followsi For producing certaineffects in retouching, the elastic block or cushion p is lowered to itslowest limit and the armature (it thus allowed to vibrate entirelyfreethat is to say, without contact with the said block or any otherportion of the frame of the instrument. The tension of thespring-armature and that of the spring-contact e are such and thestrength of the battery-current is so regulated that the attractiveforce of the magnets is not suflicient to draw the armature intostriking contact with the cores of the magnet. The vibration of thearmature 01, without contact with the pencil or frame, imparts to thewhole instrument, and thus to the hand of the operator,a very slighttremulous movement, which enables a fine retouching efiect to beproduced, a stippling effect hitherto quite unattainable in point ofdelicacy and quality. This method of operation is therefore of greatimportance and constitutes a valuable part of my discovery or invention.

For varying the stippling efli'ect the power of stroke must be varied,and this is attained by the provision of the elastic contact or anvilfor the armature. Thus by adjusting the block 19 upward in a positionthat will enable its point to be lightly touched or struck by thearmature a shorter and weaker vibration is imparted, which may beregulated to the greatest nicety by the expansion of the elastic block.In other words, the block having been set at the proper distance fromthe armature, then by turning the screw it will be compressed betweenthe nut a" and casing a, and thereby expanded, so that its point will bebrought near enough to the armature to permit the latter to lightlytouch it at each downward stroke. Thus the degree of compression andexpansion of the elastic cushion regulates the power of stroke or blowand the consequent vibratory movement of the instrument and operatorshand, so that precisely such retouching effects may be produced asdesired.

That I claim is 1. In an instrument for retouching negatives, thecombination, with the frame, of a pencil, or stylus,a holder for thelatter, which is pivoted and adapted to swing in a direction parallelwith the longitudinal axis of the instrument, and means for holding thepencil fixed at any angle to which it may be adjusted, substantially asshown and described.

2. The combination, with the body of a retouching instrument, of apencil, or stylus, a device in which it is held adjustably, and a clampfor holding the same fixed when adjusted at different angles, as shownand described.

3. The combination, with the body of the retouching instrument, of thepencil or stylus, a device in which it is held, and a friction clamp forholding such device and permitting its rotation, as shown and described.

4. In an electric instrument for retouching photographic negatives, thecombination with the body of the instrument and the vibrating armature,of a cushion or elastic block arranged beneath the free end of saidarmature, in position for contact when the latter makes its downstroke,as shown and described.

5. In an electric instrument for retouching photographic negatives, thecombination with the body of theinstrument and its vibrating armature,of a cushion or elastic block arranged beneath the free end of saidarmature, means for adjusting the block higher or lower, to vary itsposition relative to the armature and to limit the vibration of thelatter as shown and described.

6. In an electric instrument for retouching photographic negatives, thecombination, with the body of the instrument and its vibrating armature,of a cushion or elastic block arranged beneath the free end of saidarmature, a clamp-screw which is vertically adjustable toward or fromthe armature, a non-rotatable nut arranged on the inner side of theblock and engaging the screw, as shown and described.

7. In an electric instrument for retouching photographic negatives, thecombination, with the body of the instrument and its vibrating armature,of a cushion or elastic block arranged beneath the free end of saidarmature, means for compressing and thereby expanding the block for thepurpose of varying the vibration of the armature, as shown anddescribed.

JOHN N. CIIOATE.

Witnesses:

J NO. B. LANDIS, A. D. B. SMEAD.

